Removing skins from pork bellies



Nov 1924- 1,516,678

G. MORRISON REMOVING SKINS FROM PORK BELLIES Filed June 28, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l G. MORRISON REMOVING SKINS FROM PORK BELLIES Filed June 28 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 QN mm MN Patented Nov. 25; 1924.

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1 by 1,516,678 PATENT OFFICE.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

'nnmovmd sxms FROM ronx .BELLIES.

" Application med .Tune 28, 1924. Serial No. 722,968.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I; GEORGE MomusoN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Denver, county of-Denver, and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Removing Skins from Pork Bellies, of whichthe following is a specification. a This invention relates to a method for removing the skins from pork bellies, and the purpose of the invention is to "do more perfect work and with less waste than is ordinarily the case when the usual method is'followed by severing the skin from the bacon by means of a lengthwise motion of the ork belly with relation to the knife.

T e present method utilizes a crosswise relative motion between the pork belly and the skinremoving knife in order that the belly may be drawn against the action of the knife in order to straighten out the wrinkles which extend longitudinall ofthe skin. During this operation the i nife is caused to follow the surface of. thefskin to compensate for variations in itsthickness.

-The skin is thickest along the edged the bacon following the. line of the back bone of the animal, and the machine for removing the skinis rovided with grip ing' teeth for engaging t is part of the skin and then drawing the belly sidewise a ainst the knife. This knife enters the materia o erated upon at the thick end of the skin, ollowing its surface as the belly is drawn through the machine. At the same timea brisket lmife at one side of the machineremovesthe un-. even part of the fat and skin atoneside of the slab of bacon. Thismachine is used for roducing the choicest cuts of bacon, whic are packa ed in' rectangular form. Therefore, while file bacon must be delivered in rectangular form, it is also necessary to reduce the waste of fat to a minimum and also deliver the skins with the fat substantiallyall removed therefrom and uninjured by the knife.

i The invention is made effective by the use of preferably a continuously rotating drum, which has one or more longitudinal recesses in which the gripping" devices are located in order that the surface of the drum may-be flush and not interfere with the pr tipfir operation of the. skin removing knife. '9

knife is substantially stationary with respect to the drum except for a slight movement toward and away from the drum for the purpose of compensating for the variation in thickness of the skin. A grating, or 'table having a slight reciprocating motion receives the pork belly and carries it toward the drum in proper time to have the ipping fingers or prongs carried by the rum penetrate the fat at the edge of the skin and grip it as required for successful operation of the machine. F

n'the construction as illustrated in the drawings,-.

Figure 1 is a side view of the machine with the bottom part of its supporting frame broken away, and the pulley or other means for rotating the drum and operating the table and knives omitted.

Figure 2 is a planview of the machine. These drawings show a supporting frame 1, withinwhich isjournaled a roller or drum 2, driven at the desired speed for the cutting operation by any suitable means. This drum has a pair of longitudinal grooves 3 atopposite sides; and within which are mounted a-set of fixed prongs 4 and rocking prongs 5. The latter are operated at the proper times-for grippin and releasing the entering edge of the s in of pork cuts passing through the machine. The means for operating the set of pron s 5 are a air of stationary box cams 6, ocated at t 0 sides of the machine and engagingrollers 7 on arms rigid with the set of prongs 5,which are pivotally supported on the roller 2 at 8.

a The pork cuts 9 are placed upon a reciprocating table or grating 10, which is given a-movement toward the drum 2 when oneof the sets of gripping devices 4 and 5 arrive opposite the table. The rongs 5 enter the bel y very close to the sin, and then are rocked downwardly pinching the edge of the skin between the prongs 4 and 5. The pork cut is then carried along with the drum, which rotates in thedirection indicated by arrow 11.- The side or brisket portion is trimmed from the remainder .ofthe pork cut by brisket knives 12, attached to the machine frame at 13 and located at the edge of the reduced portion 14 of the drum. These knives are carried by resilient elements 15, and coact with rollers 16. One such knife is located at each side of the machine in convenient position for both the ri ht and left cuts of pork.

urther rotation of drum 2 results in the knife 17 severingv the skinv from the belly. Knife 17 extends longitudinally of the drum and is supported by a 'crossframe 18 rigid with a longitudinally extendin shaft 19 at each side of the frame. The shafts 19flpass through bearings 20' within which these ca using this movement of the knife are the bell cranks :35, and cams 23 rigid with so porting trunnions '24 of roller 2. A resi iently mounted roller 25 extends parallel withdrum 2 above the knife 7. This roller is pressed toward the knife 17 by springs 26, either a ainst limit stops or opposed springs. The rol ers 16 are likewise resiliently urged toward-the knives 12 by springs 27. The table 10 is reciprocated-in time with the operation of drum 2 by means of cams 28, fast to trunnions 24. These cams enga e the ends of reciprocating s'upportin sha ts 29, slidable in the bearings 30, and carrying fast thereto supporting brackets 31 for thetable 10. The forwar motion of table 10 toward drum 2 is effected-by the coil springs 32, and the return motion by the cams 28., The table 10 carries an overhanging gage 33 to, facilitate the correct placing or the porkcutson the table. This gage" is pivotally mounted at 34, and rocks out of the Way as the pork cuts are drawn around the drum.

In the operation .of the device, the belly is fed into the machine with the brisket end flush with the end of the drum. The reciprocating table carries the belly forward at t e proper time to cause the prongs 5 to enter above the skin at the back of the out. By a slight rocking motion imparted to prongs 5, the edge of the skin is firmly gripped between these prongs and the set of prongs 4, the gripping device then remainin below the surface of the drum until it releases the skin. As the pork belly is drawn-from table'lO, the brisket knives out the skin on a line between the brisket and belly. The brisket is then guided over the skinning knife 17 with the belly, but the skin removed from the belly is carried downwardly with the drum until the roller 7 of the gripping devices arrives at the releasing portion of cam 6. During the skinning operation the skin is stretched against the reactance of the skinning knife 17. The wrinkles in the skin run longitudinally thereof parallel with the axis of the drum when the cut is properly placed upon the a pork belly machine, and the skin is straightened out by the stretching action during the skin ning operation. All pork belly skins are thicker on thebackslde than on the flank or'belly side. The cut is started atthe back side, and then. the edge of the skinning knife ap roaches closer to the drum asthe belly or an portion of the skin approaches the knife. his action is very successively accomplished by the spring and cam' action of the machine. r a

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be ,altered or omitted without departing from the/spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims. a I claim; g p g 1. The method of removing skins from pork-bellies, consisting in gripping the thick ed e of the. skin and drawing the belly sidbwise and to cause a knife to enter the belly at the thick edge of the skin, and then roducin a relative motion between the ifean .thebelly in order to straighten out wrinkles in I the skin and remove the bacon therefrom. 2. The method of removing skins from pork bellies, 'consistin in gripping the thick edge of the skin and rawingthe belly sidewise and to cause a knife to enter the belly at the thick edge of the skin, and then producing a relative motion between the knife and the bell in order to straighten out wrinkles in t e skin and remove the bacon therefrom and at the same time causing the knife to closely follow the skin in order to clgmpensate forvariations in thickness of the s m. a

3. A pork belly skinning machine comprising a roller having a longitudinal-groove therein, two sets. of gripping prongs located in said groove, a reciprocating table arranged at one side of said roller and timed therewith to cause the skin at the edge of a pork belly placed thereon to come between said prongs duringthe rotation of the roller means for automatically rockin one set 0 said gripping prongs toward an away from the other set, a knife located at one side of said drum in position to enter the belly at the inner side of the skin and follow the surface of 'theskin during the rotation of the roller, and meansfor reciprocating said table.

1. A pork belly skinning machinecomprising a roller having a longitudinal groove therein, two sets of gripping, prongs located in ,said groove, a reciprocating table arranged at one side of-said roller and timed. therewith to cause the skin at the edge of laced thereon to comebetween sald prongs uring the rotation of the roller, means for automatically rocking one set of said gripping prongs toward and away from the other set, a knife located at one side of said drum in position to enter the belly at the inner side of the skin and follow the surface of the skin during the rotation of the roller, means for reciprocating said table, and means for causing said knife to approach and recede from the roller in order to compensate for variations in thickness of skins.

5. A pork belly skinning machine comprising a roller having a longitudinal groove therein, two sets of gripping prongs located in said groove, means for automatically rocking one set of said gripping prongs toward and away from the other set, a knife located at one side of said drum in position to enter the belly at the inner side of the skin and follow the surface of the skin during the rotation of the roller, a recip rocating table arranged at one side of said roller and timed therewith to cause the skin at the edge of a pork belly placed thereon to come between said prongs during the rotation of the roller and means for reciprocating said table.

Signed at Denver this 20th day of June, 1924.

GEORGE MORRISON. 

